The Past Will Catch Up
by DarkMage6
Summary: Mayuri has always been the feared mad scientist within the Shinigami ranks. What of his past though? Where did he come from?  And how will it all end?  Mayuri is slightly OoC.  Mayuri x OC
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This story will take Mayuri a little out of character, so I apologize in advance. This particular story has played through my head for a while now, and I felt the need to start working on it, to get away from my book I'm trying to write. ^_^ Gives my brain a break from all the other people I have to put up with. lol Enjoy!

Chapter 1- The Truth

Mayuri Kurotsuchi, feared captain, was in a foul mood. More so on this day than any others. The one day a year that everyone under his command wished they could avoid. No one knew the true reasons for his sudden bursts of anger, or his staring off into space, sadly, almost.

"Mayuri-sama?" Nemu asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Mayuri responded with a swift slap. Immediately though, he looked as if he regretted it. "Leave me alone."

Nemu rose off the ground and quickly ran from the room.

Mayuri locked the door after her and walked over to a bare wall, touching it and sending his reiatsu through it.

It peeled away slowly and reveled a few items, that were precious to him. A hair brush with a few hairs still in it, dark in color. A child's teddy bear, and a wedding dress. He didn't dare touch the items, for he feared he would now contaminate them of their purity.

"If you could see me now." He whispered, frowning deeply.

With self disgust, he sealed the wall again, and moved to a table, to experiment on himself. Pain was the only thing that would get him through this day.

The more, the better.

-------------

Miyuki was standing in front of Yamamoto himself. "I wish to join the ranks of the Twelve Squad. I am a accomplished scientist, and I feel that I am up to the task."

"You do realize that the captain of squad twelve, Kurotsuchi, is a demented man?" Yamamoto asked, his eye brows raising slightly.

"I am very familiar with a good portion of Captain Kurotsuchi's past. You see, Captain Yamamoto, I. . .knew him a long, long time ago." Miyuki answered, her smile a little bitter.

"Knew him how?" Yamamoto asked. His tone told her that not answering was not an option.

"I was. . .I am still. . .his wife." Miyuki struggled to say.

Yamamoto sat back in his seat, thinking. "Captain Kurotsuchi has revealed little of his past to us. Nothing in fact. I knew that he was in the Maggot's Nest. . ."

"The Maggot's Nest?" Miyuki cut in sharply. "Why was he there?"

"It seems we both are missing big pieces of his life. . ."

-------------

Mayuri was beyond annoyed when he seen a Hell Butterfly approach him. He took the message and snarled at the insect, causing it to fly away faster than normal. He stood up and re-dressed, happy that he had at least finished modifying his arm before the message had arrived.

"What the hell does Yamamoto want with me?" He snarled, flash stepping to the First Captain as fast as he could.

He entered the room with obvious annoyance.

"You called?" He asked, his voice thick.

"I have a scientist to add to your squad." Yamamoto told him.

"I have plenty of 'scientists' and they know nothing. I don't need anymore useless idiots running around." Mayuri said, dismissing the idea immediately.

"This scientist is responsible with coming up with the cure for the disease that claimed Byakuya Kuchiki's wife. Sadly, the cure came a few days to late." Yamamoto added.

Mayuri seemed to ponder it for a moment. "Anything else that can be added to their resume?"

"She's working on several other projects, but needs a adept scientist to help her, driving her here to seek help from our greatest scientist. . .you." Yamamoto continued.

"Stroking me ego now? Fine, I'll take. . .her." Mayuri sneered.

Yamamoto made a motion with his hand and some doors to the side opened, revealing a woman that made Mayuri pause. As he stared at her in shock, so did she, accompanied by horror.

"What have you done to yourself?" She gasped.

"Miyuki?" Mayuri whispered in shock.

-----------

Miyuki settled in as quickly as she could into the room that Mayuri had provided her with. She looked in the large mirror in the bathroom and took in her appearance. She had changed a little over the years, cutting off her dark hair to near nothing. Though it was nearly touching her shoulders now. Her green eyes gazed at her, haunted.

Her slight build looked so much smaller now that she was wearing a shinigami standard uniform with her zanpakuto strapped at her side.

She swallowed the bile that threatened to rise from her stomach and turned away from the bathroom.

Seeing Mayuri had unsettled her more than she thought. Especially seeing that the rumors of his experimentation were true. Beyond true.

She gazed at the huge bed that had appeared magically.

"How long was I in the bathroom?" She whispered to herself.

"Four hours."

Miyuki turned to find Mayuri standing in the doorway, no longer wearing the makeup he had been in earlier. His hair was also flowing straight down his back in a blue fall.

"Why did you come here Miyuki. You had to know I was here. . .I didn't think you would want to see me after. . .everything." Mayuri said, coming further into the room.

Miyuki realized that he wasn't wearing his uniform either. Instead, he wore a simple black kimono, belted loosely, and showing some of his chest, covered in scars.

"I came here to finish some work." She told me. "And because. . .I wanted to see you."

Mayuri walked to the lone window in her room, gazing out of it. "I am not the man you married. I am shattered and broken, and I've put myself together so many times, I don't remember what part of me is human anymore. I am cruel, and I have done far to many things that would have you ashamed of carrying my name. My advice to you, Miyuki, is to get your work done quick, and divorce me."

"Do you want a divorce? Have you found someone else?" Miyuki asked.

Mayuri laughed bitterly. "No, no one else. Who would want me?"

Miyuki stepped up next to him, touching his shoulder gently, shocked at how cold it felt. Still, she didn't pull away.

"Isn't it amazing what we will do in the name of science? To our own bodies? Carving our flesh, injecting poisons, and hoping our cures work for it?" She murmured. "But despite what you have done to yourself, Mayuri, you are still my husband. . .I do still love you, though sometimes, I question why. Bitter words, harsh things, were said between us after. . .the accident. But I am proud to be Miyuki Kurotsuchi. I'd have it no other way."

"You won't think that soon." Mayuri said, pulling away and walking toward the door. "You will hate me tomorrow."

He left the room, leaving Miyuki in a cloud of tormented emotion.

"Excuse me, but Mayuri-sama asked me to bring your things up. May I enter your room?"

Miyuki took in the girl holding her bags and felt all the blood leave her face. She was staring at herself. . .Or rather, a clone.

The girl seemed to have noticed it too.

"What have you done, Mayuri?" Miyuki screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Working with this couple is hard. . .There is so much pain and frustration between them, and yet they want to be together! -pulls hair- Hope this chapter builds it up a little more. -DM6

Chapter 2- Pure, Driven, HATE

Miyuki couldn't sleep that night. The girl who looked like her, Nemu, she said her name was, was a creation of Mayuri's. Only, the girl didn't know that she was actually based off of someone.

"_Are you. . .my mother?" Nemu had asked her._

"_I guess I am, sort of. It seems that Mayuri combined some of my DNA with some of his to create you. The scientist part of me is impressed, the simple woman side of me is angry. Has he treated you well?" Miyuki asked._

_Nemu looked away. "He is my master, he will treat me as he wishes."_

_That is when Miyuki felt the true hatred leak into her soul again. By the girls actions and words alone, Miyuki knew her life hadn't been a kind one._

Miyuki rolled over and stared at the ceiling.

"I'm never going to get to sleep unless I talk to him about this." Miyuki growled, then punched her pillows a few times.

She got up, and put on a robe and exited her room. She walked slowly, scanning for Mayuri with every sense she had available. What tipped her off to his room though, was it was the only one that had a light glowing from underneath.

She knocked on it softly.

"It better be good." She heard him growl as a way of responding.

She opened the door and poked her head in.

He was sitting at a desk, writing. He looked up at her, surprise on his face.

"I want to talk to you. . .about Nemu." Miyuki said firmly, entering the room and shutting the door. She locked it behind her too.

Mayuri put down his pen and turned to face her. He motioned to another chair that sat on the side of the desk closes to her.

Miyuki sat in it and waited.

"What do you want to know?" Mayuri sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Why did you create her? Why have you mistreated her, because it is obvious to me. If you would hate her so, why try? Was it just your way of creating life without the need of a woman? Something you could toy with, make perfect, ensure it never died?" Miyuki asked, each question sounding bitter.

Mayuri's eyes flashed at her angrily. "I will treat her as I see fit. I created her." He said through clenched teeth.

"That is where you are wrong!" Miyuki said, getting up and glaring down at him. "You may have created her, but half of her DNA is mine. She is my daughter, as much as she is your _creation_. You will treat her better Mayuri!"

"Make me." Mayuri snapped. "You may still be my wife, but don't think you can just walk back in here after one hundred and fifty years and tell me what to do. I am the Captain of this squad, and I will treat my subordinates as I see fit!"

Miyuki slapped him hard, a red hand print showing up almost immediately on his face. "You disgust me. I want to know what happened to the old Mayuri. The one who laughed and smiled a lot. A man who set out to be a scientist so he could help people!"

"He died with out son." Mayuri said lowly.

It was a low blow, and they both knew it. Talk of their son always twisted a knife in Miyuki's heart, and a burning pain always remained for a while.

Miyuki swallowed. "But you still created a child to be ours. Why?"

"I was. . .lonely." Mayuri finally admitted. "But she looked so much like you, that I hated her. It was like I was being laughed at. Constantly reminded of you, wanting you, not having you, hating you, cursing you. . ."

Miyuki just shook her head. "I do expect you to treat your people better Mayuri. Otherwise, I will go to Yamamoto. I leave you no choice in this. If you don't treat Nemu better, I will have her removed from your squad, and put under my care." She turned to leave, but Mayuri grabbed her by the arm, spinning her around and shaking her roughly.

"I already told you, I will treat them as I see fit!" He snarled in her face. He lifted his hand.

"Hit me, if it makes you feel better. But I will not back down from this Mayuri." Miyuki said. His hand didn't move from his position in the air, his glare just as heated. "Come on, _Captain_. Hit me, show me your in charge and all powerful. That's what you want to do, right?"

He released her and dropped his hand slowly, pointing it toward the door. It was then that she noticed the nail on his middle finger was longer then the rest.

"_No, Mommy! Don't cut that nail!" Her son told her, hiding his middle finger from her view. _

"_Why now? If we don't cut them all, it will look bad." Miyuki told her son, reaching for him._

"_But it's my lucky nail! If I get it really long, I will live forever!" Her son said, seriously._

"_Who told you that?" Miyuki asked, laughing._

"_The old woman in black."_

_Miyuki quit laughing and looked concerned. He was talking about the old sooth sayer._

"_What all did she say, honey?" She asked, sharing a worried look with Mayuri._

"_That I will live on forever if the middle nail is long."_

"_So she didn't say your nail? Just 'the middle nail'?" Mayuri asked._

_Their son thought it over, his face all scrunched up in thought. "Yeah." He said at last._

"_She's just a silly old woman. Let's cut your nail son." Mayuri said, scooping up their son._

"_Okay, Daddy."_

Miyuki blinked and looked at Mayuri again.

She turned and left the room.

* * *

Mayuri sighed as Miyuki left his room, sitting heavily in his chair. He had almost hit her. Treated her like she was Nemu, and she would never be that, to him. She'd never just be an experiment.

The years had changed them both.

She had grown more dependent, spoken, and if possible, beautiful.

He groaned and rubbed his face, picturing her in his mind again. The way she had slapped him, the look in her eyes and on her face. She was so dominate. . .And in that moment, despite the anger at the slap, he had felt. . .ecstasy. He had wanted more. Wanted to take her in his bed while she fought him.

He let his hands fall to his lap and he stared at his right, more importantly, his long nail.

"And live on you shall." Mayuri whispered.

-----------------

"Mayuri-sama instructed me to show you to your lab that is yours for use. He said you may help yourself to the supply room, take any hands that aren't busy doing some work he has them set on, and that if you need him, his office is the third door on the right down the hall." Nemu said, letting her into the rather spacious lab.

"How kind of him." Miyuki said dryly. She laughed to herself for a minute, then began to inspect the equipment. "Why don't you spend the day with me Nemu? I'd like to get to know my daughter."

"Mayuri-sama asked me to be his lab hand today." Nemu said, in a voice that said she'd be just that.

"I see." Miyuki said. "Well, I want you here tomorrow. If Mayuri asks you to do anything else, you tell him I've got you for the day. He can speak to me directly if he's got a problem."

Nemu's silent told her that if Mayuri wanted her elsewhere, then she'd be there as ordered by Mayuri.

"I also want you to stand up for yourself, Nemu. The way Mayuri treats you is wrong."

"Mayuri-sama created me. . ." Nemu began.

"I know he did!" Miyuki snapped, cutting Nemu off. "But a good father would never treat a child that way. So he created you in a lab, big deal. He would not treat a child of his loins that way, and thus you shouldn't be subjected to such treatment. If he continues to treat you badly, Nemu, I'm going to have you removed from the squad. If you want to stay, then you best start working toward the goal of getting treated better."

Nemu had an angry look on her face, but she just simply bowed and walked out of the room.

Miyuki snarled at the instruments she was inspecting. "I hate you Mayuri, just as you hate me."

--------------

"Did Miyuki find the lab to her liking?" Mayuri asked Nemu when she entered the lab.

"She said, 'How kind of him.' That is all, Mayuri-sama." Nemu answered, in a monotone voice.

Mayuri gave a snort and turned to the serum he was inspecting. "Sounds like her."

"Mayuri-sama. . .Lady Miyuki asked that I work with her tomorrow. She said she wants to get to know me. . .as I am her daughter."

The vile in his hands splintered.

Mayuri turned and looked at Nemu, his eyes icy. "What if I ordered you to assist me?"

Nemu looked torn.

"Do you want to spend time with her?" He asked now, his voice cold.

"Lady Miyuki said that if I. . .she said if you. . ." Nemu tried to put the words together. She didn't want to anger him, didn't want to get hit. . .

"Basically, she's blackmailing both of us into me treating you better, and getting to spend time with you." Mayuri snarled, getting up from his seat and pacing. "Spend time with her! I don't care. She'll be gone before you know it."

Nemu blinked and bowed. "Thank you, Mayuri-sama, for understanding."

"Tell Miyuki that I want to see her." Mayuri snarled. "Once you have delivered her, go attend to the other lab staff."

Nemu bowed and exited quickly.

Ten minutes later, and much to the annoyance of Mayuri, Miyuki entered.

"You rang?" She asked, sarcastically.

"I didn't believe that you would actually pull the whole 'talk to Yamamoto' thing for real. You have Nemu worried about it though. I don't need my Lieutenant sweating over minute things. So, cut the crap. You'll have her tomorrow, but she'll be busy for a long time after that. Besides, I don't need you to get involved in her life then just disappear." Mayuri snarled, leaning against a lab table.

Miyuki raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"

Mayuri was in front of her before she could blink, his hands on her throat, but not squeezing. His lips smashed against hers in a brutal kiss.

When he pulled away, Miyuki felt a small trickle of blood leave the corner of her mouth.

'_How did that happen?' _She thought, wiping away the small amount of blood with a shaky hand.

"You infuriate me." He breathed out.

"Yeah, yeah. That's right up there with the hating me, right? News, Mayuri, I believe I hate you too." Miyuki snapped.

"At least we are on the same page." Mayuri growled before swinging her over his shoulder.

Within a few seconds, they were in his room. He threw her down on the bed and ripped off her clothes with harsh movements.

Her clothes lay about her in heaps, no longer fit to wear, and she lay on the bed, completely naked, and paralyzed. She was terrified, excited,. . .turned on.

He removed his facial wear quickly. His clothes began to pool on the floor until he was completely naked. He stood in all his glory, his body still covered in a coat of makeup.

She gazed down his body to his erection and swallowed. It had been so long.

"This is going to happen." He growled at her. "You have the choice of deciding how we do it though."

"The paint has to go. I want to see the Mayuri I know." Miyuki breathed out.

Mayuri walked over to a door and opened it, revealing the bathroom. He walked in and shut the door.

Ten minutes later, he walked out, dripping wet, but completely free of the full body paint.

Miyuki swallowed again, this time, taking in the full amount of scars on his body. He had really done a number on himself. . .Though a few cuts were obviously from a sword, and not a scalpel. She rose to her knees on the bed.

'_This is a terrible idea.' _She told herself.

Mayuri grabbed her chin and stared into her eyes as he lowered his lips to hers again. It was intimate. . .and yet cold.

Miyuki broke the kiss and tried to cover herself. "I can't do this. Not like this."

Mayuri pushed her shoulder with enough force to cause her to fall back on the bed. He was on her in an instant, his entire body covering hers. "I told you this was going to happen. I'm a man of my word."

"_How do you expect to get that antidote ready in two days Mayuri!? If its not done, you're as good as dead!" Miyuki yelled at Mayuri. He was such an infuriating man. The only person who could possibly one day end up being head scientist of the lab. She wanted to smack him stupid._

"_I'm a man of my word, if nothing else, Miyuki. Now, don't you have some experiment you could be working on?" Mayuri said, smirking. She hated being talked down too. He knew it. She knew it._

_Miyuki stomped on his foot in anger._

"_You idiot!" She snapped._

_Mayuri pinned her arms to her sides by wrapping his arms around her. He pressed her hard into his chest and stared down at her. "I would almost think you were worried about me, Miyuki." He had kissed her then. Their first kiss. . ._

_When he released her, she stood there, dazed._

_He turned back to his antidote and added something to it._

"_There, I'm done." He announced._

_Miyuki shook herself out of her stupor. "That's not possible."_

"_I've been working on this antidote for a while. The customer knows that we won't have a way of testing it, except to try it on the patient themselves. We'll see if it works." Mayuri said, waving a hand about. "Now, where were we?"_

He kissed her again, this time, it was more. . .personal. As if he might have shared the flashback with her.

He was hard against her thighs, and she felt a small heat building in the pit of her stomach.

Still, it wasn't right. They were not right. They shouldn't be doing it, no matter how turned on they were or could be. It would only hurt them in the end.

"Why were you in the Maggot's Nest?" She blurted out.

Mayuri froze cold.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Talking of the Past

"_Why were you in the Maggot's Nest?" Miyuki blurted out._

_Mayuri froze._

In the next instant, he pulled away from her and walked over to a door and opened it, revealing a closet. He pulled out a robe and threw it on, belting it up. Next, he grabbed another and tossed it to her, before sitting in the chair in front of his desk.

"I'm guessing old man Yamamoto opened his mouth when you first tried to join." Mayuri said, without looking at her.

Miyuki took the robe and slipped it on, belted it, then sat on the edge of the bed. "It came up when I mentioned that we had a past together. He didn't know you were ever married. . .I didn't know you were even in the Maggot's Nest."

"I. . .was put there, and considered dangerous. I was the only person actually caged. They also shackled me. A chain from my ankle, to the wall. I could not walk far enough to reach the bars, but I was able to access my bed and other things." Mayuri said, still not looking at her. "Inside there. . .you have a lot of time to think."

"I bet you certainly do." Miyuki said softly.

Mayuri glanced at her quickly, then back at the wall in front of him. "I was put there because of something I was experimenting on. . .They said I was crazy for trying to do it, and I was willing to sacrifice everyone at the lab to get it done. . .That's why they put me in the Maggot's Nest. . .I was trying to find a way to bring back our son."

Miyuki bit her lip, feeling the tears stinging her eyes. "I tried too. I did it on my own though, afraid what other people would say. . .In the end though, I just ended up more mad and filled with grief."

Mayuri glanced at her again, and this time, it was the face of the man she had last seen before she had walked away. Filled with so much grief and pain, it was hard for her to breath. Unchecked, the tears began to flow down her face.

"What have we done to ourselves, Mayuri?" She sobbed. "Our son would hate us, I just know it." She hid her face in her hands, unable to look at him anymore.

Mayuri approached Miyuki and pulled her against him, holding her tightly, while she sat on the bed, and cried. Her smoothed his hands through her hair, while whispering softly to her.

"We did do this to ourselves, because we didn't know how to handle our pain. We had only known happiness and joy with our son in our lives, and when that was taken away, we were left with an equation that we didn't understand. Instead of trying to find the solution to the equation however, we just tried to undo it. It left us mad, and with no one to blame, we turned on each other." Mayuri whispered, threading his fingers through her hair. "I figured that out, after a few months. I was so afraid of losing you completely, that I asked you to leave. I said horrible things to you to make you go. I did that, because I loved. . .I still do love you, and I wanted to find a way to make it better again. It never happened though. I thought I got somewhere with Nemu, but in the end, it was another dead end. . .And the final path. I had failed."

Miyuki looked up at him with a tear stained face. "You didn't mean anything you said to me?"

Mayuri grinned and tilted her face up more, pressing a soft kiss on her lips. "Not a single word."

"Do you think we could ever be. . .back to the way we were before?" Miyuki asked now.

"Not completely, no. We have changed, have we not? But if you are asking if we could try again, then yes. I would love to have you back in my life. . ." Mayuri told her, resting his forehead against hers. He slid one hand to her neck and rubbed the column of her throat with his thumb. "And knowing the new you. . .You're going to have to help me change."

Miyuki gave him a watery smile. "You know it."

The lips that touched hers again were soft, but more demanding. Passion was beginning to thrum through her veins as his hands slid down her body, pushing away her robe so he could have his way with her breasts.

She pushed his own robe from him, running her hands over his scared chest, loving the contrast between the roughness of the scars and the smoothness of his skin.

He nipped at her lip before he dropped his mouth down to her breast, taking a nipple into his mouth and sucking.

Miyuki cried out and threaded one hand into his damp hair while the other began to stroke downward. She was surprised when she met no crisp hairs beneath his navel and only found his smooth hard length. She grasped him and gave a stroke.

He growled lowly, gazing up at her with golden eyes.

Then, the moment was ruined as a knock sounded on his door.

Miyuki immediately pulled the robe he had given her on, and made her way to the bathroom, her face aflame with embarrassment.

* * *

Mayuri opened the door, annoyed enough to kill whoever was behind it.

Nemu stood, her head bowed submissively as she said, "Sir, Captain Zaraki is here and demanding to see you, or someone of equal knowledge, to make something he wants."

"Tell him he can go to hell or make an appointment!" Mayuri barked, slamming his fist into the door frame. "I have better things to do than cater to his every whim. Other experiments I need to work on, and things that Miyuki has asked my help with."

Nemu glanced up at him and said, "Of course, sir."

She turned to leave and Mayuri stopped her with a gentle arm. He swallowed as she looked at him, her face a serene mask, but he had caught the brief fear in her eyes as he did so. "If he has a problem, come get me immediately and I will handle him. Don't put yourself in danger, understand?"

Nemu's lips twitched into a smile, briefly, as she nodded, bowed once more, and disappeared from sight.

Mayuri closed the door and leaned heavily against it.

"You're doing better already, and I haven't even had to do anything just yet." Miyuki said softly.

"Oh, but I think you did. I do believe you threatened to take the matter before Captain Yamamoto?"

Miyuki blushed softly, coming out of the bathroom and standing before him. "I'm a little sorry we got interrupted."

"Only a little?" Mayuri asked, brushing some hair over her shoulders to rest with the rest of the strands.

"It would have been interesting to see how far we would have went." She admitted, smiling softly.

Mayuri bent to brush his lips against hers when his bedroom door flew open.

He straightened, annoyed with Kenpachi Zaraki, and himself for not sensing him coming. Miyuki was a distraction. A good one, but one none the less. He was going to have to remember to keep his guard up. Or work on his body until his guard was up, even when the rest of him was focused on his wife.

"I see. Get some ass and you're to busy to do your job." Kenpachi grunted, leering at Miyuki.

Miyuki just lifted an eyebrow at the large Captain and turned to Mayuri. "He's a bit rude, isn't he?"

"You into freaks, or you just desperate? Because I could show you a real good time?" Kenpachi smiled, showing teeth.

Miyuki didn't even try to hide her shudder that ran through her body. She sneered at the captain and touched herself to Mayuri's side. "I think I'll stick to my _husband_, thanks."

Kenpachi grunted. "Whatever. So, Clown-face, I need you to-"

"I am busy. I am not working on anything right now. So, you'll have to take a number and wait in line." Mayuri growled. "Now go."

Tension ran between the two Captains to the point that Miyuki got between them, and put a hand on each of their chests, pushing them apart, forcibly. "Calm down. I think you should leave Captain Zaraki. Come back at another point. You're not getting whatever it is that you are wanting today."

Kenpachi glared down at her hand, then shoved it away forcibly, causing her to spin around, and straight up fall into the wall.

She straightened up, pushing herself off the wall, and glared at the Captain. Her zanpakuto appearing in her hand, as if summoned.

"Leave, now." She said, calmly. "Or measures will be taken. And I assure you, no matter the damage, it will be on your head."

**_Authors Note: I updated. It's rather short. But I'm tired, and I wanted to post something. So here it is!_**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Miyuki held her blade higher, placing it right at Kenpachi's throat, her glare down right cold. "Before you think about touching my blade, or even moving a muscle captain, know that my zanpakuto has been upgraded to meet my standards. You can't see, smell, or even sense it, but a deadly poison is rising from that blade, and you have breathed it in. On my command, it turns corrosive. You'll be eaten from the inside out. It's painful, takes hours to eat through your lungs, then it moves on into your blood stream with each pain filled breath you take. If you aren't dead by the end of that, you will be soon. There's an antidote of course. . .I'm just not feeling particularly giving though."

Kenpachi glanced down at the blade, and then to Miyuki again. "I ain't afraid of nothing."

"Would you really want that annoying lieutenant of yours to watch you die?" Mayuri asked, placing a hand on Miyuki's lower back. "I suggest you leave before my wife makes good on her threat."

Kenpachi spat at their feet, then walked out, slamming the door behind him as he went.

Miyuki lowered her blade only when she felt that he had left the Squad Twelve's barracks. "Jerk."

"What an interesting poison you have created. I would love to test it." Mayuri purred, running a hand down her blade. "Such a poison is. . .tantalizing."

"Oh!" Miyuki said, turning and grinning at him. "There isn't one. I don't experiment on my zanpakuto at all. That's a horrible thing to do. It puts your zanpakuto through unimaginable pain, and they will learn to resent you, or fear you. They'll never reach their maximum potent ional that way. No matter what modifications you make to it, it will never be as great as what it can do on its own."

Mayuri blinked, then doubled over laughing. "You just bluffed out the Captain Zaraki? Oh, that is priceless! He'll kill you if he ever finds out, you know?" He was serious again, taking her face into his hands.

Miyuki smiled gently and placed her left hand over his right. "I'm not worried. Who but you knows my secret?"

Mayuri cocked his head to the side and just watched her, silently, assessing. His thumbs stroked over her cheeks all the while, comforting while his staring unnerved her.

"Maybe I should go before anymore trouble starts." Miyuki murmured, bringing her deranged husband back into the land of the living. His hands dropped from her face, but his stare didn't waver. It followed her, burning into her back, until she was completely out of sight.

Within her own room, she could breath once more. And cry. . .

* * *

Mayuri toyed with the idea of lying down and trying to get a few hours of sleep. He hadn't slept hardly at all since she had been here, and though he never slept much, he was exhausted. Mentally, and physically.

He shut the door to his bedroom, and walked to his bed, stopping only to pick up her torn clothes, and lift them to his face. He inhaled deeply, taking in her wonderful scent.

He had _almost_ had her. She was willing to try again. Things might look up.

He climbed into the bed, closing his eyes, and forcing his thoughts away.

Sleep came easy. . .but it was far from peaceful.

The nightmares always came when he was at his weakest. . .

* * *

"_Daddy!" The little boy yelled happily, throwing himself at Mayuri's legs. _

_Mayuri caught himself before he dropped the vile of the corrosive chemical he was holding. Hard to him wouldn't have mattered, harm to his son though. . .He would rather maim himself with a rusty spoon._

"_Son, what have I told you about doing that when daddy's working?" Mayuri chided his son softly, putting the vile safely on the counter, and out of his son's reach._

"_I'm sorry daddy." The boy simpered, casting his head down and sniffling miserably. "I just missed you since I just got back with mommy."_

_Mayuri smiled and lifted the boy into his arms, kissing the top of his head. "Where is your beautiful mother? And did you have fun?"_

_The boy with his deep blue hair raised his eyes to his, smiling happily. "She's sleeping. She's been really tired lately. She said I was supposed to tell you that she'll see you later, and she'll cook your favorite meal. . .if I can stay here so she can rest."_

_Mayuri laughed and looked behind him son at his 'caretaker'. She was a lab assistant who swore she loved children, and while she was recovering from an injury caused by a lab accident, she would watch over him to earn some keep. . .and money. She couldn't not have a job._

"_And did you have fun?" Mayuri asked again._

_The boy scrunched up his nose. "No. Grandpa just wanted mom to enroll me in some school. Grandma wanted me to. . .what did she say. . .grow up?"_

_Mayuri clenched his teeth tightly, but kept his smile for his son. His in-laws were horrible, as far as he was concerned. Miyuki's father wanted little Ryo to become a Soul Reaper, while Miyuki's mother thought the boy should overall stop being a boy. It was there fault that Miyuki had always been so serious, and had never laughed. Until he made her. Now, she visited her parents as little as possible, and lived her happy, mostly carefree life with him and Ryo._

"_Don't listen to them, Ryo. They're old and forget a lot. They probably think you should be as old as me by now." Mayuri teased. He glanced over his son's shoulder to his 'caretaker' to find her watching him with. . .puppy eyes? Had she always done that? Now they looked like she was going to attack him and eat him. "I think I need to get back to work son. Why don't you go play somewhere away from the lab, okay? The sooner I get done, the sooner we can go home and pester your mother."_

_He set his son down and watched him run off, his 'caretaker' staying behind._

"_I'm paying you to watch my son, remember?" He said coldly, breaking her of her gaze immediately. _

_The girl bowed and quickly scampered off, her limp becoming less and less noticeable._

_Mayuri sighed and went back to work, measuring out the chemicals, and mixing them. He was trying to find a cure for a disease that had taken many lives. A fever of sorts. Sadly, anything that was actually 'healing' didn't seem to work. But when something that could hurt them was applied, the people managed to battle back the fever to a point. He wondered if the way to beat the fever was to induce a new fever? To force them to sweat out a poison?_

_He began scribbling down notes on what he thought might work, when hands wrapped around his waste._

"_Miyuki." He sighed._

"_I can be if you want me too."_

_Mayuri ripped out of the arms of his son's 'caretaker' and whirled on her, snarling. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"_

"_I've watched you for so long, Mayuri-"_

"_That's Mr. Kurotsuchi to you." Mayuri snapped at the girl, cutting into her self professed love._

"_-I've seen how lonely you are. Your wife working as much or more than you do. Hardly seeing each other. Always competing to be the better scientist. I know that Ryo is the only thing holding you two together in your sad marriage. But you don't have to pretend with me. You won't have to beat me, and try to find people to watch our children. I'll be home, always waiting for you, taking care of our children, and Ryo too, if needed." She continued, trying to touch him again._

_Mayuri heard something past the girl trying to talk to him. Half of the lab was dark, signaling the he had worked far later than he intended. Had the lab assistant taken Ryo home? Or was his son running lose in the lab?_

_THERE! He heard it again. The tinkling sound of glass touching glass. Like when two vials. . ._

"_Ryo!" Mayuri yelled, running toward the darkened part of the lab._

_An explosion rocked the entire lab, lighting it up as work table after work table caught fire in the huge blaze._

_With no care of himself, Mayuri ran through the flames and stumbled upon his son. Dead, burnt. . .forever gone._

_Mayuri picked up the scorching hot body, uncaring that he was getting burned in the process._

"_Nooooo!" He cried, clutching the small body to him. "Why! He was just a little boy!"_

"_It was an accident, Mayuri." the lab assistant said, laying a hand on his shoulder._

_The sprinkler system had kicked in, putting out most of the flames._

_Mayuri spotted a scalpel laying there on the ground, probably sent flying by the explosion. He set his son down, and gripped the scalpel in his fist, rising to meet the lab assistant's gaze._

"_I told you, that's Mr. Kurotsuchi to you, bitch." He sliced her throat open and watched her drop, her blood oozing from her and onto the floor. He lifted his son, not wanting her disgusting blood to taint what was left of his son. . .All that he had left of his son.  
_

_

* * *

_

Mayuri set up in his bed, gasping for breath, while sweat poured down his face. It had been years since he had that nightmare. Losing his son, taking the first life he ever had away from someone. He would always regret not sending his son home. The lab was never meant to house children. And a boy of five could not be kept entertained for long.

He would never regret killing that bitch lab assistant though. If she had done her job instead of trying to seduce him, his son was still be alive. He would have been with Miyuki still, living there happy life. . . .Miyuki wouldn't have miscarried a child that they didn't even know she had been pregnant with.

That had been a low blow to them, even more so then losing there son. It happened though. All the stress on her body, not eating. Her body just decided that that little extra energy needed that was keeping the baby alive, was just to important to let go. Her body rejected the child.

Miyuki had nearly gone mad.

Mayuri scrubbed his face with the heel of his palm. He was still so tired, and he knew he would fall back asleep if he laid down. . . The nightmare though.

He rose from the bed, and left his bedroom. His feet carried him to Miyuki's room without a second thought, and he let himself in.

There, his beautiful wife lay, curled on her side, on top of the blankets. Her chest rose and fell easily in her sleep.

He smiled as he realized she was still wearing the robe that he had given her.

She stirred slowly, no doubt sensing his gaze upon her.

When her eye lids finally fluttered open, she gasped, sitting up quickly. "Mayuri, is everything okay? You don't look so good."

"Nightmare." He murmured.

"Nightmare. . ." She murmured back, before squeezing her eyes in pain. As long as they had been married, Mayuri had never suffered from nightmares. . .until after the accident. Until they lost little Ryo. She held her hand out to him, and he took it, climbing onto the bed and laying down.

She stretched herself out beside him and curled into his body. It was an action as easy as breathing, even after all this time. She still fit perfectly within his hard planes. His body hugging her softer curves, lovingly, almost.

Together, they slept through the night without any nightmares coming to disturb them.

It was the best sleep either had gotten since before the accident. They both knew it. . .and both wouldn't admit it.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Mayuri woke up, surprised to find that Miyuki wasn't with him. He sat up slowly, his fists clenched into the blankets that covered him. It was silent, the bathroom door open and empty within.

As he swung his feet out of the bed to get up, he noticed a note addressed to him sitting on the bedside table.

_Mayuri-_

_I'm went to the lab to get some work done. I couldn't bring myself to wake you because I know how hard it is to sleep so peacefully. I hate to ask this, but please don't disturb me today. I'm working on something very important, and not even any lab assistants are allowed within my lab. I'll see you later, okay?_

_-Miyuki_

Mayuri smiled softly, folding the note and sticking it within his robe. He would respect her wishes, as they had often left notes for each other like this. . .back then.

* * *

Miyuki carefully poured over the old notes that she kept on her person for so long. The ultimate writings of betrayal. It disgusted her to no end when she had found these, long after Mayuri had gone.

Years of obsessing over them had turned her into a monster no better than the one that her husband had hidden behind a mask. Now he wore his mask so openly, everyone just left him alone.

She couldn't, however.

He had done some great things. They both had. But. . .but the guilt within the scrawled writing she knew as his, made everything so clear. The illusions of life, love, and family. . .Nothing but a game to him.

Had he ever been truly human? Was there any real humanity left inside of him?

She turned to the vials she had lined up on the table. Six exactly. Three pairs.

Her mouth twisted into a bitter smile as she had almost lost her own role in the game that they were both playing. Last night had been the ultimate test, and she secretly patted herself on the back for walking away. And again for when he entered her room, and she had kept up the role. Caring, sad, wanting. She played it all out. . . It was hard though.

"Once upon a time, there was a little boy who had both a mother and a father. . ." She whispered, picking up three of a vials of poison, corking them, and walking out of the lab.

* * *

Mayuri lifted his head as Miyuki walked into his lab, looking around at all of the experiments he had going on. . .including a few people strapped down to tables. Some of them even alive still.

"Miyuki?" He asked softly.

"I came to see if you could help me with something. But if you're busy, I understand. . ." She trailed off, looking uncertain.

"I always have time for you, you know that, I hope." He murmured, standing and walking to her. "What can I do for you?"

Miyuki pulled out the three vials she had in her pocket. "As always, you the only person I trust to test poisons and cures. You'll tell me what I need to know, and not just cry and scream about pain, etcetera." She placed the bright green colored liquid filled vial in his hand. "This one is supposed to cause severe pain." She placed the dark red liquid filled vial in his hand. "This is supposed to attack the organs."

"The cure for both?" He asked, motioning toward the softly almost glowing vial the held a light blue liquid.

"On all my slides, the cure wiped out all of the effects of the other two. Even when the other two were mixed together. I need someone I trust to take them though. I can't do it myself, obviously." She said softly.

Mayuri stared at the vials and then looked into her eyes for a few moments. "Let's go to my room to do this. Not exactly a scientific environment, but a lot better place to ensure we are not disturbed."

They exited the lab, with him not bothering to issue out orders to anyone to keep going. He was leaving them all undone. . .And that unnerved Miyuki just a little bit.

Mayuri laid down on his bed and drank down both vials quickly and relaxed.

It took only a matter of seconds before he was tightening his jaw and clenching his fist against the pain.

"What sort of poisons have you created?" He hissed out between clenched teeth.

Quickly, Miyuki placed the vial of the cure in his hands and told him to drink it.

When Mayuri swallowed the last of it, he became still as death, but his eyes were focused on her.

"Did you know what those poisons were before you drank all three of them? I think you did, and yet you still took them, knowing that you would die. I wish you could tell me why you did. But you'll be paralyzed until the poisons kill you completely. A quiet but painful death." Miyuki whispered, running a hand up his arm. "You were going to do it to me though. Our marriage was an experiment too. You wrote everything down in notes. I found them hidden in the wall of our room after you left. I just happened to get so angry that I threw a chair at the wall. It collapsed and there was several tomes full of your notes."

She stopped touching him and turned his head to face her, their eyes meeting. "You were curious about the reactions your body was having to me. You analyzed them instead of just. . .going with it. The 'Love Experiment' you called it. Try everything once and all, you know. You planned on doing it all. Marriage and all. When you got annoyed with me though, you were going to kill me. I mourn our son, but had that not happened, I think I would be dead now. My son would grow up to be like his father, because that would be all he had to learn from. Maybe it was a blessing what happened to him, as horrible as it sounds."

Mayuri's eyes began to slide close, his vision blurry. He wanted to focus on her face, remember it in this moment. So beautiful, setting there coldly, watching him die. A true scientist. Detached from all, like himself.

'_You were just an experiment, in the beginning. But at some point, it all stopped. You were just always there, never a distraction, and always so supportive. You handled my anger, my curiosity, and my love. I love you so much. . .and I wish I had burned those notes, the same way I wish I had saved our son. I too, am relieved though, that those things didn't come to pass like you thought they may have. I am a monster, and I know that. I've turned you into one too. But you'll transcend into something far more than I. This, I know, will be your only act of cruelty.'_ Mayuri thought, focusing on her again. _'I wish I could tell you all of these thoughts. We both know, however, how horrible I am with my feelings. I wish I could tell you about where I keep your wedding dress, brush, and our son's teddy bear. You would know then, I think, that I did love you. You would hate yourself though.'_

Miyuki kept his gaze, and was surprised when she felt a tear slip out of her eye. "I was going to kill myself too. I can't though. I think Ryo will hate me enough for sending you to meet him. Following wouldn't make it any better. I do hope that you get to see our son again, Mayuri. If we have an after life. . .Hard to tell, isn't it?" She let out a short laugh that turned into a sob.

She climbed onto the bed and curled her body against his. "I love you. . .I hate you, and I love you. You weren't an experiment for me. Never would I have thought that. You must have been really furious when I came back. To think that an experiment that you probably had concluded come back."

'_I was angry. Not for those reasons though. I couldn't handle all of the emotion. All the things I wanted to forget. The pain, the yearnings, and love I had for you. The flowed out of me and seemed to never stop. . .I suck at handling my emotions. You've told me that so many times.'_ Mayuri thought, wishing he could hold her, even when she was the very reason he couldn't.

She pulled herself away from him minutes later, as he felt his death coming to him. His eyes slid closed peacefully as she brushed his hair from his face.

"You even die perfectly, don't you?" Was the very last thing he heard.

* * *

Miyuki looked back at the Squad 12 barracks briefly as she left. She was never going to come back to this place. Not unless they figured out what she had did and dragged her back to punish her. Not that they would. With the way Mayuri experimented on himself all the time, they would just assume that his end came about on himself. No one in the lab had heard anything they were saying. . .she was sure of it.

She smiled softly and turned back to the road and began her journey away from the Soul Society.

"Once upon a time, a little boy who lost his way to early in life, was re-united with his father. The father loved him, but not his mother. . .Because Fairy Tales don't end happily, you know?"

* * *

Nemu measured out the contents in the shot before injecting it into Mayuri. Instantly, the captain set up with a gasp and coughed.

"Welcome back, Mayuri-sama." Nemu said, bowing.

"Yes well, that certainly wasn't a pleasant stroll through the park, now was it. Go, burn her lab and make it look like an accident. And bring me my journal. I need to write down the conclusion. . .No, never mind. It's done. Leave me." Mayuri murmured.

Nemu bowed again and left to do as she was told.

Mayuri set up, knocking the three vials off the bed, and watching them shatter at his feet.

"Miyuki. . .May you find yourself a new life with someone else that makes you happy. You'll discover I'm alive, no doubt. . .But you are free of me. . ." He whispered as he stood, uncaring of the glass that cut into his feet. He walked to the window and glanced down at the long nail on his middle finger. "Our son says he still loves you. . .and he forgives you. So do I. . ."

* * *

Author's Note: The end! What a twist! Truthfully, much like my Mad Hatter/Alice story, I knew when I began writing this story, that these two wouldn't have a happy ending. To many hurtful things were said and done. No forgiveness between them, seemingly. Hope you enjoyed! I have a new story coming soon. It will contain every captain and almost every lieutenant in a romance. Each chapter being about someone else. A challenge I gave myself. . . Let's see if I can do it. . .


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